CAR ACCIDENT NECK INJURIES

If you are reading this and have already been in a serious California car accident, then you have unfortunately learned the hard way just how easy it is to injure your neck on impact. Everything about the traumatic bodily motions that happen in reaction to a car crash is unnatural and jarring to your body and your neck is certainly no exception.

CAR ACCIDENT NECK INJURIES

A neck injury is one of the most common car accident injuries. Simply put- your neck is extremely delicate and nothing about a car accident is. Even a slow moving rear-end accident can leave you hurting for weeks. Here’s a look at some of the most common car accident neck injuries:

• Whiplash: Not surprising, whiplash is not only the most common neck injury suffered in a car accident, it is the most common car accident injury. Whiplash occurs when the sudden motion of impact (the car or truck hitting you) pushes your neck muscles and ligaments beyond their normal range and then quickly back again. The sudden jerk motion causes pain that can last months, if not longer. For many car accident victims, the whiplash is not immediate but rather takes weeks or months to manifest. Soreness, stiffness and headaches are the most common symptoms associated with this injury. If not treated, whiplash can result in chronic pain and other issues. Icing your neck, taking anti-inflammatory medications following your accident are recommended to calm the effects of a minor whiplash injury.
• Herniated Disc: A more serious and common injury to come out of a car accident includes a herniated disc. When this injury happens, one of the discs in your neck moves out of place as a result of the impact. This displaced or herniated neck disc can cause pain not just in your neck but most commonly experience pain and numbness in your arm and shoulder. Unlike more whiplash injuries, herniated neck disc injuries can be picked up on an MRI which allows medical professionals to see the scope of the injury and quickly begin a treatment path to help alleviate your pain and injuries.
• Vocal Cord Damage: While not as common as the two other injuries mentioned about, your vocal cords can be temporarily or permanently injured as a result of your car accident.  Whether and the extent to which a vocal cord car accident injury happens depends on the nature of your accident.

HOW MUCH ARE MY CAR ACCIDENT NECK INJURIES WORTH?

Taking into account your car accident neck injuries is just part of the equation in determining how much your California car accident case is worth. This is one of the most common questions we get from our clients and rightfully so– you want to know what you an expect from your personal injury lawsuit. For starters, we cannot give you an exact figure and no attorney should make you a promise (if they do, they are lying to you along with breaking some ethics rules). Here are some questions you can answer on your own to give you an idea of what your car accident neck injuries are worth:

• What are your neck injuries?: Even the pain and treatment of temporary whiplash is worth something but the bigger the injury, the bigger the financial ask. While some of this can be easily determined by looking at your past, current and future medical needs (which have a dollar amount attached to them), we work with your doctors to get a very realistic idea of not only amount but ongoing needs.
• How did the injuries impact your life?: Perhaps you missed work or maybe you can’t work at all– both these things are major factors that go into your case evaluation. Or maybe the injury has impacted your intimate relationship with your partner or made it so that you need certain expensive accommodations in your life (i.e. wheelchair, drivers, etc).
• Other factors: The worth of your car accident should also take into account other injuries and damages that happened in the accident including the damage to your car and personal property.
• What is the insurance coverage?: While certain accident do give you other avenues of recovery (the city, the drivers’ employer, etc) the vast majority of California car accidents are paid out via insurance policies– the other driver and yourself. Unfortunately or fortunately the amount your claim is worth may be limited by the amounts available within the insurance policies. For more on this important topic read about what happens when the other driver to a car accident does not have any car insurance (which is illegal in California) or does not have enough car insurance to cover the claim.

Neck injuries are serious and always demand medical attention to fully understand the impact your injury has on your life. At Walch Law, we are here to help with all your California car accident needs and will work hard to maximize your financial recovery and limit the impact your accident has on your life. Wondering if you have a case? Give us a call today to set up your obligation-free initial consultation with us and learn more about how we can help We look forward to hearing from you!